Green v. Blanks

342 S.W.2d 141, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 23, 1960
Docket10804
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 342 S.W.2d 141 (Green v. Blanks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Green v. Blanks, 342 S.W.2d 141, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883 (Tex. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

This is a suit in trespass to try title involving the fee title to the Mary A. Green Survey, abstract 872, Coke County, Texas, containing 160 acres more or less. The plaintiff is Garlan H. Green, individually and as agent or trustee for 54 other heirs or successors in interest of Mary A. Green, deceased. The defendants are Olin Blanks, W. H. Blanks, Jane Brown and Ruth Blanks Matlock who are the heirs and devisees of W. C. Blanks, deceased, and numerous other defendants who are the assigns of the estate of W. C. Blanks, deceased, to the oil and gas leasehold title and to an undivided interest in the mineral and royalty interest under the land.

The plaintiff pleaded title and dispossession in accordance with the trespass to try title practice and also sought recovery for the value of oil and gas produced from the premises for almost six years prior to trial of the case. The defendants all pleaded the five, ten and twenty-five year statutes of limitations and the two year statute of limitations on the claim for value of oil and gas, and some of the defendants filed cross actions for valuable improvements in the event of a recovery by the plaintiff.

The case was tried to a jury and the court submitted to the jury, in four issues together with appropriate instructions, the question whether the five year, ten year, and two twenty-five year statutes had run. The jury found in favor of the defendants on the five year, ten year and twenty-five year (Art. 5519a) statutes, and did not answer the five issues involving good faith improvements because such issues had been conditioned upon a negative finding on all of the limitation issues. The trial court entered its judgment in favor of the defendants based on the jury verdict finding for the defendants on the five, ten and twenty-five year statutes, and the plaintiff has appealed.

The appeal is based on 27 points assigned as error and points Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be grouped together and are to the effect that the court erred in overruling plaintiff’s motion for an instructed verdict because the undisputed evidence shows that plaintiff, individually and as agent for the other heirs of Mary A. Green is the owner of the land sued for; that W. C. Blanks and his estate were at all times tenants either by agreement or by consent, which was nev *143 er repudiated, either by giving actual or constructive notice and all of the defendants are estopped to assert the statutes of limitations; that the defendants never at any time abandoned such possession under a landlord-tenant relationship and made a new and independent adverse re-entry, and that if there was any evidence tending to show that defendants abandoned possession of the property being held under the said landlord-tenant relationship and made a new and independent adverse re-entry, there was no evidence that the defendants ever notified plaintiff or his predecessors in title of the abandonment of such landlord-tenant relationship or that they were making a new and independent adverse reentry; that if plaintiff be mistaken that defendants were tenants of plaintiff and his predecessors in title, as a matter of law, the court erred in refusing to submit plaintiff’s Requested Special Issue No. 1-A.

This issue is as follows:
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that W. C. Blanks obtained possession of the Mary A. Green tract of land from William Green at the time he bought the William Green ranch in 1918? Answer yes or no.
“Answer: -.”

And that the court erred in refusing to submit plaintiff’s Requested Special Issue No. 1-B, reading:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that in the year 1918 W. C. Blanks took possession of said Mary A. Green tract under an agreement or arrangement with William Green that W. C. Blanks would keep the taxes paid upon said Mary A. Green tract and for doing so W. C. Blanks would have the use of said Mary A. Green tract of land? Answer yes or no.
“Answer: -.”

In 1890 Mary A. Green filed on the 160 acre tract involved in this suit as a homestead and secured a patent. She lived on the land until her death in 1902. At the time of her death she left as her only heirs a son, William Green, three daughters, Laura Alice Newbrough, Mollie Strickland, Sara Jane Evans, and the heirs of Emma Lawson who had preceded Mrs. Green in death.

It appears that William Green continued to live in Coke County on his land and used the Mary A. Green land and paid taxes thereon until he leased his land and the Mary A. Green land in 1912 to Graham and Westbrook and moved to Brewster County, residing there until his death in 1948.

Mr. Green sold his Coke County land to W. C. Blanks in 1918, such conveyance did not include the Mary A. Green 160 acre tract.

In 1919 the 160 acre tract was assessed for taxes by Carruthers and Blanks through 1928 and was rendered by Mrs. E. B. Car-ruthers in 1929;

On December 16, 1929 Mrs. Carruthers conveyed to W. C. Blanks all of her land completely surrounding the Mary A. Green tract and including the Mary A. Green tract.

W. C. Blanks rendered the 160 acre Green tract for taxes from 1930 until his death in 1933 both years inclusive. The tract was included in the inventory and appraisement of the Estate of W. C. Blanks and taxes assessed and paid by the Estate.

The case was submitted to a jury on several Special Issues. Special Issues Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, preceded by appropriate instructions and definitions, are as follows:

1. “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendants, and those under whom they claim, either in person or through a tenant or tenants, or partly in person and partly through a tenant or tenants, have held peaceable and adverse possession of the land in controversy, using, or enjoying the same, or any part thereof, and paying taxes thereon and claiming under deed or deeds duly filed for record in Coke County for *144 any period of five (S) consecutive years between December 16, 1929, and August 22, 1958?
“Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
“Answer: Yes.”
2. “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the defendants and those under whom they claim, either in person or through a tenant or tenants, or partly in person and partly through a tenant or tenants, have held peaceable and adverse possession of the land in controversy, using or enjoying the same for any period of ten (10) consecutive years" between December 16, 1929, and August 22, 19'58'P'
“Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
“Answer: Yes.”
'!( ’ ‘
■; 3.

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Bluebook (online)
342 S.W.2d 141, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/green-v-blanks-texapp-1960.